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VyprDNS Released for VyprVPN

May 30, 2014

VyprDNSis an enhancement to the VyprVPN service. It will be of particular interest to those who are trying to get around censored Internet services, such as those in nations where the government redirects traffic to banned websites via DNS requests. VyprDNS is wholly owned by Golden Frog. They use an encrypted tunnel to direct your DNS requests to their servers, ensuring that you hit the site you want to visit. They don’t log your requests, which are something that you should keep in mind, particularly if you’re using a 3rd party DNS provider right now.

How it Protects You

VyprDNS is already included with your VyprVPN Diamond or Platinum level service if you’re a subscriber. You don’t have to do anything to make use of it. You cannot, however, purchase it as a standalone product.

When you make a DNS request, the DNS server takes the hostname—the dot-com, dot-net, etc. address—and converts it to a numerical IP that the computer uses to find the server. Unfortunately, many DNS services—your ISPs or a 3rd party service—log this activity. Even if you’re using a VPN service, this traffic can potentially be logged and used to track your activity. It can also be used to get geo information.

This is why DNS leaks are such big concerns for VPN users. If your DNS requests are going through a server that logs, you’re VPN protection is basically defeated. VyprDNS defeats that weakness.

Another security risk of DNS servers comes from man-in-the-middle attacks. These redirect your requests to a server that you didn’t want to visit, usually one that’s filled with ads and that may well cause problems by downloading malware to your computer. With VyprDNS, these attacks are completely eliminated and you can surf in safety.

If you’re using a 3rd party DNS service, such as Google or OpenDNS, keep in mind that they do log. If you’re using the DNSCrypt product from OpenDNS, you may want to consider uninstalling it and using your VyprVPN to handle your complete connection. With this new addition to their service, it provides much better security without all the logging.